Robbers decamped with Rs 3.83 lakh after uprooting a Tata Indicash automated teller machine (ATM) at an unguarded kiosk in Dhami Nagar market on the Mithapur road in the wee hours of Wednesday.

It’s the seventh ATM robbery in the past 10 months in areas under the Jalandhar police commissionerate’s jurisdiction.

Robbers decamped with Rs 3.83 lakh after uprooting a Tata Indicash automated teller machine (ATM) at an unguarded kiosk in Dhami Nagar market on the Mithapur road in the wee hours of Wednesday.

It’s the seventh ATM robbery in the past 10 months in areas under the Jalandhar police commissionerate’s jurisdiction.

The latest incident happened despite two police nakas on the Mithapur road, one at the Gol Market chowk and the other at Cheema Chowk. The kiosk, which had no CCTV cameras, was being opened at 7am and locked at 10pm daily by Geeta Rani. She works as a maid in the building which houses the kiosk.

On Wednesday morning, Geeta found the lock broken and the ATM missing. She informed shopkeepers in the market.

As per company officials, the robbers struck at 3.31am. However, cops arrived at the spot at 11am when the media informed the police.

ACP Harjinder Singh, inspectors Nirmal Singh and Gurpreet Singh, accompanied by fingerprint experts and a dog squad, reached the spot and started a probe.

Cops suspect the involvement of the gang that looted a Punjab National Bank (PNB) ATM at Sarhali village on September 26 last year and a State Bank of India (SBI) ATM on October 6 in Jandiala locality of Jalandhar.

A case has been registered under sections 380 (theft in dwelling house) and 457 (lurking house trespass or house-breaking by night in order to commit an offence punishable with imprisonment) of the IPC on the statement of Ajay Kumar, a company superviser.

FACT FILE

Vulnerable district Jalandhar district has witnessed four ATM

robberies in as many months, including the February 10 incident.

January 16, 2016: Robbers decamp with Rs 11.91 lakh after breaking open an unguarded ATM of Union Bank of India branch at Basti Bawa Khel locality on busy Kapurthala road

November 14, 2015: Using gas cutters, a gang of thieves breaks open ATM of UCO Bank in Guru Gobind Singh Avenue; flee with Rs 12.1 lakh